CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — The mission of the 36th Sustainment Brigade comes to an end as they hand over the reins to the 224th Sustainment Brigade during a transfer of authority Ceremony June 9 at Memorial Hall here.

Col. Lisa Costanza, commander of the 224th Sust. Bde. and a Long Beach, Calif., native, assumed command from Col. Sean Ryan, commander of the 36th Sust. Bde. and a Cedar Point, Texas, native, both under the command of Brig. Gen. Paul L. Wentz, commander of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Mansfield, Ohio, native, who attended the ceremony.

“Our mission is to pick up where the 36th (Sust. Bde.) left off and continue the fight to have a successful drawdown of forces and materials back to home station,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Vickie Dunlap-Jones, command sergeant major of the 224th Sust. Bde., 13th SC(E), and a Sacramento, Calif., native.

The lineage of the 224th Sust. Bde., also known as the “Dragonslayers,” dates back to World War II. The unit earned the Presidential Unit Citation streamer for its actions from October 17, 1944 to July 4, 1945 in the Pacific theater of operations.

While the 36th Sust. Bde., also known as the “Rawhide Brigade,” leaves theater, the unit adds to its history of providing Soldiers to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Bosnia, Kosovo and Operation Noble Eagle.

“I am so very proud of the professionalism (of the Soldiers) I’ve served with during this deployment,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Elizabeth Shockley, command sergeant major of the 36th Sust. Bde. and a Richardson, Texas, native. “They didn’t settle for the status quo. They accepted these challenges of working with limited resources to support the reduction of forces. They served living the Army values.”

During the ceremony, Dunlap-Jones echoed Shockley’s comment on the professionalism of the Soldiers in the 36th SB.

“I would like to thank the 36th Sustainment Brigade for their professionalism, their openness, their receptiveness and their commitment to our success in what they left us,” she said. “It’s unparalleled. If this is what any other unit experienced during their (transfer) of authority, there’s no wonder that we’re the greatest Army in the entire world, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Col. Lisa Costanza (second from left), commander of the 224th Sustainment Brigade and a Long Beach, Calif., native, and Command Sgt. Maj. Vickie Dunlap-Jones (fourth from left), command sergeant major of the brigade, and a Sacramento, Calif., native, uncase the brigade colors June 9 during the transfer of authority ceremony from the 36th Sust. Bde. to the 224th Sust. Bde., 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) at Contingency Operating Base, Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Johnson)

Brig. Gen. Paul L. Wentz (right), commander of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Mansfield, Ohio, native, speaks during the transfer of authority ceremony from the 36th Sustainment Brigade to the 224th Sust. Bde. June 9, at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Johnson)

Soldiers render their salutes during the playing of the national anthem June 9 during the transfer of authority ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. During the ceremony, the 224th Sustainment Brigade took over the mission from the 36th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Johnson)

Col. Sean Ryan, commander of the 36th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Cedar Point, Texas, native, and Command Sgt. Maj. Elizabeth Shockley, command sergeant major of the 36th Sust. Bde. and a Richardson, Texas, native, case the brigade colors during a transfer of authority ceremony as they hand their mission off to the 224th Sust. Bde. june 9 at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Johnson)